The Captain charged in a blur of blue light, its twin Arc spears dragging crackling lines across the metal floor. Weiss jumped aside just as the creature plunged one spear into the ground, the impact sending a shockwave that rattled her bones and shattered loose debris around them.
Spark transmatted into Weiss' subspace to avoid the debris and possible injury. "Do be careful! That strike would have separated you into a very unflattering number of pieces!"
Weiss raised her hand cannon and fired twice—but the Captain's shield flashed, absorbing the rounds with ease. It snarled and hurled a spear like a lightning bolt.
Weiss dove behind a half-broken console as the weapon embedded itself into the machinery beside her and exploded in a burst of Arc energy. Shrapnel peppered her armor, and one jagged chunk tore directly into her thigh.
"Aah—!" Weiss crumpled to one knee as pain shot up her leg, bright and sharp.
Spark darted to her side, scanning rapidly. "Oh dear. Puncture wound, bleeding, possible structural compromise of the femoral armor plating! How exciting. Though terribly inconvenient for you."
Weiss ground her teeth. "Spark… please… less describing, more helping!"
"Right! Right." Spark hovered anxiously. "Just don't die!"
The Captain yanked its remaining spear free and charged again. Weiss forced herself upright, leg trembling and her vision swimming. She couldn't run—but she could fight.
She summoned another Arc grenade, electricity dancing erratically across her shaking fingers. The Captain lunged, spear sweeping in a deadly horizontal arc.
Weiss threw the grenade at the ground between them.
The explosion detonated at the Captain's feet, a brilliant shockwave of crackling force that staggered the massive creature and shattered its shield. The creature howled, blue sparks cascading off its armor.
Weiss didn't hesitate.
She gripped her Arc Blade with both hands, ignoring the searing pain in her leg, and sprinted forward. Lightning surged up the blade as she leaped, driving the weapon across the Captain's exposed chest.
The Arc energy carved through armor with a violent burst of crackling light. The Captain reeled, stumbling backward, its roars gurgling into static.
Weiss hit the floor hard, her injured leg buckling beneath her. The Captain recovered enough to raise its spear for a final, furious strike.
Spark shrieked, "Dodge! Dodge now! Do not become dramatically impaled!"
Weiss threw herself sideways, rolling across the floor. The spear slammed into the ground where she'd been lying, sending another shockwave that made her ears ring.
She fired her hand cannon from the ground—three rounds in quick succession.
The Captain convulsed, sparks erupting from its chest. It staggered twice, tried to lift its spear again—
Then they collapsed in a heap of smoldering armor and burnt ozone.
Silence washed over the chamber.
Weiss lay flat on her back, chest heaving, hands trembling with adrenaline. Pain throbbed in her thigh where the shrapnel was still embedded.
Spark hovered over her face, eye bright but worried.
"You survived! Statistically improbable, but wonderfully impressive!"
Weiss groaned. "Spark… can you heal this?"
"Oh yes, eventually. Your Light will mend it. Though I must warn you, pulling out the shrapnel will sting approximately—ah—quite a lot."
"Spark!"
"Understood! Less talking."
Spark projected a thin beam of light onto the wound, stitching it, slowing the bleeding. Weiss hissed but forced herself upright, using her good leg for leverage.
"Is the warp drive intact?" she asked through clenched teeth.
Spark spun. "Miraculously, yes! And not even scorched. Let us extract it and leave before more enthusiastic Fallen arrive."
Weiss glances at the Captain she eliminated before looking at the spears.
"Spark, transmat those spears into storage will you." Weiss grunts out.
"You seem to have a strange obsession with Fallen melee weapons, oh well, just don't blow up the tower with them." Spark says gleefully as he transmats them away.
Weiss limped toward the massive engine, every step sending a jolt through her thigh. But she kept moving, refusing to let the pain slow her down.
They had the drive and it was time to head back…home.
—————————
The ride back to the Tower was far less triumphant than Weiss had imagined.
The moment she and Spark loaded the warp drive into the battered jump ship, Weiss collapsed into the pilot's seat, her injured thigh throbbing with every heartbeat. Spark floated nervously beside her, occasionally emitting distressed beeps he insisted were "perfectly normal diagnostic noises."
The new drive spun up with a low, rumbling hum that vibrated through the cockpit. Weiss could feel the energy coursing through the ship—smoother, stronger, almost eager to cut through the void of space.
"Warp calibration complete!" Spark announced cheerfully. "We now possess the ability to travel beyond Earth's orbit without spontaneously detonating. Progress!"
Weiss winced as she adjusted her position, trying to ease pressure off her leg. "Let's… just get home."
"Already plotting a return vector!"
The jump ship rose from the cosmodrome, engines blazing, and shot upward through the thick clouds. Weiss sagged back, letting exhaustion pull at her. Her armor was dented, her blade was scorched, and her thigh was wrapped in a thin sheen of temporary Light that Spark had infused to keep it stable.
Outside the canopy, the Traveler glowed like a pale guardian hanging above the world. The closer they flew, the more Weiss felt a hum in the back of her mind—soft, comforting, like a distant lullaby.
She closed her eyes.
Arrival at theTower
The landing platform rushed up beneath the ship as Weiss brought the jump ship down in a shaky but functional descent. Her hands were steady, but only barely. She could feel the adrenaline fading from her body, replaced by a heavy ache that spread through her limbs.
The landing struts touched down and Weiss exhaled in relief.
Two Tower technicians rushed forward the moment the hatch hissed open. One was a human woman with grease-stained gloves; the other was an Awoken man with bright silver eyes that gleamed with concern.
"Guardian! Easy—don't move too fast," the woman said as Weiss tried to stand.
Weiss's injured leg buckled, and she caught herself on the hatch frame. Pain flared up her side.
Spark zipped between the technicians like an anxious firefly.
"Yes, yes, she is injured! But alive, largely intact, and in surprisingly good spirits. Though she may be concussed. Or sleepy, or both."
Weiss shook her head. "I'm fine. Just… need to get to the Vanguard."
The Awoken man gently took her arm to steady her. "We'll alert them. Just lean on me if you need to."
Weiss didn't want to, but she accepted the support.
The walk through the Tower was a slow, painful journey punctuated by curious stares from passing Guardians. Some nodded respectfully. Others whispered behind helmets. Weiss didn't know if they saw her as impressive or foolish.
Probably both.
Spark bobbed proudly. "Oh, do look at them staring! That means you're notable. Or alarming, the line between the two is thin."
Weiss managed a weak smile.
Return to the Vanguard
The moment she entered the Hall of the Vanguard, Cayde-6 was the first to notice her limp. His optics widened in exaggerated disbelief.
"Whoa, whoa—hey! Somebody get a chair or a medbot or… something! What happened? You get into a fistfight with a Skiff?"
Weiss raised a brow. "A Captain, actually."
Cayde perked up. "Oh! That's cooler."
Zavala approached next, posture rigid with authority but eyes scanning her with concern.
"You're injured."
Weiss nodded once. "Shrapnel, from a Fallen explosion."
Ikora stepped closer, voice calm but sharp. "Sit down before you collapse."
Weiss lowered herself onto a nearby bench, careful of her leg. Spark hovered beside her like a concerned physician.
"The mission was successful," he chirped. "The warp drive is secured and installed. And Weiss dispatched a rather oversized Fallen Captain with remarkable efficiency!"
Cayde let out a low whistle. "Not bad, rookie. How about next time you face a Captain you don't get injury again yeah?"
Zavala clasped his hands behind his back. "You've done well. The Tower recognizes your strength—and your determination. The wound will heal. Your Light will see to it."
Ikora knelt slightly to inspect the temporary Light bandage Spark had formed. "And your Ghost did well stabilizing it." She glanced at Spark. "Good work."
Spark rotated proudly. "Naturally!"
Weiss smiled shyly, feeling a gentle warmth in her chest from the care and validation of the Vanguard
Recovery
A Tower medic arrived shortly after, guiding Weiss to the Tower's medical alcove—a small, quiet space lined with soft-light panels and clean equipment. She sat on a raised platform while the medic carefully removed the metal shard and applied a restorative Light infusion.
Weiss hissed through her teeth.
The medic chuckled gently. "Hurts, I know. But you'll be walking fine in am hour."
"Just an hour?" Weiss echoed, amazed. "Really?"
"Guardians heal fast. Especially ones who fight like you apparently did."
Spark floated next to her shoulder. "See? Only minor structural damage. Nothing to be overly dramatic about."
Weiss shot him a look. "Easy for you to say."
After a few minutes, the pain subsided to a dull throb. Weiss flexed her leg experimentally. It was stiff, but functional.
The medic stepped back, satisfied. "Even though the wound will heal quickly, take it easy tonight. No strenuous activity."
"Define strenuous?" Spark asked.
"Anything involving explosions, blades, jumps, or bullets."
Spark dimmed thoughtfully. "Ah. So she may nap and perhaps walk five feet."
Weiss swatted at Spark who dodged it with a gleeful laugh.
———————
When they finally stepped back onto the main Tower balcony, the last rays of sunset stretched across the City far below. Weiss leaned on the railing, watching the lights flicker like constellations.
Spark hovered close, voice softer than usual. "You did well today, Weiss. Exceptionally well."
Weiss closed her eyes against the wind, letting the moment settle over her.
"Thanks," she whispered. "I… think I'm starting to get the hang of what being a Guardian means."
Spark turned to the Traveler in the sky."Then tomorrow, we begin again."
Weiss nodded as she gazed up upon the Traveller, feeling her Light stir in response—quiet, steady, and growing stronger.